Parliament’s Neon Debate Shines

It’s not often you hear the words neon sign echo inside the hallowed halls of Westminster. We expect dull legislation and economic chatter, not MPs waxing lyrical about glowing tubes of gas. But on a late evening in May 2025, Britain’s lawmakers did just that. Yasmin Qureshi, MP for Bolton South and Walkden delivered a passionate case for neon. Her argument was simple: gas-filled glass is culture, and cheap LED impostors are strangling it. She hammered the point: £30 LED strips don’t deserve the name neon.

Chris McDonald backed her with his own support. Even the sceptics were glowing. The stats sealed the case. Only 27 full-time neon benders remain in the UK. The next generation isn’t coming. Ideas for certification marks were floated. Surprisingly, the DUP had neon fever too. He brought the numbers, saying the global neon market could hit $3.3bn by 2031. Translation: this isn’t nostalgia, it’s business. Closing was Chris Bryant, Minister for Creative Industries.

He couldn’t resist glowing wordplay, getting teased by Madam Deputy Speaker. But the government was listening. He listed neon’s legacy: the riot of God’s Own Junkyard. He argued glass and gas beat plastic strips. What’s the fight? Because fake LED "neon" floods the market. That kills the craft. Think Cornish pasties. If labels are protected in food, signs should be no different. The glow was cultural, not procedural. Do we want every wall to glow with the same plastic sameness?

We’ll say it plain: plastic impostors don’t cut it. Parliament had its glow-up. No law has passed yet, but the glow is alive. If it belongs in the Commons, best neon signs it belongs in your home. Ditch the pretenders. Bring the authentic glow.


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